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CIHM/ICMH 
Microfiche 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  IMicroreproductiuns  /  institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiquet 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  ot  bibliographiq 


ues 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


v/ 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


□    Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagde 

□    Covers  restored  and/nr  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pelliculde 


D 
D 
D 

n 
□ 


D 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relii  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

Ld  re  liure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
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II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  dune  restauration  apparaissar:t  dans  le  texte, 
mai.n,  iorsque  cela  «tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  it^  film^es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplimentaires: 


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modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 

□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pelliculies 

E    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
"ages  d6color6es,  tachet^es  ou  piqj^es 

□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tach^es 

QShowthrough/ 
Transparence 

□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  in^gale  de  I'impression 

□    Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^men 


suppl^mentaira 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I      I    Only  edition  available/ 


D 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
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ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  tctalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  ^ti  filmies  i  nouveau  de  facon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  a:  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu*  ci-dessous. 
^^^  14X  18X  22X 


I         I        I        I 

i-l        I        I 
12X 


26X 


30X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


I         I         I 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Douglas  Library 
Queen's  University 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -—^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  ore  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  film4  fut  reprodnit  grdce  d  la 
g«n«rosit6  de: 

Douglas  Library 
Queen's  University 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet«  de  I'axemplaire  film*,  et  an 
conformity  avec  les  t  onditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimis  sont  film6s  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  solt  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film«s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impresslon  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboies  su!vants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »-  signifie  "A  TUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
fiim^s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  6tre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  11  est  film«  d  partir 
de  i'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  h  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nicessaire.  Les  diaqrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

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The  Benefits  which  Society 
derives  from  Universities 


jLisr   jLiDX)iasiSS 


BY 


D.  O.  OILMAN 


PrMtdenI  q^  the  Jokni  Bopkim  Vnittrtit-j        ■  :; 


BAITIIfORB 
ISS8 


JtHMga^BI 


1 


The  Benefits  which  Society 
derives  from  Universities 


A3sr    ^X)3dk.:bss 


BY 


r>,  n.  aiL.MAN 

rretident  of  the  Johns  Uopkint  Vnivtrrity 


BALTIMORE 

PUBUCATIOX  Ar.KNCY  OF  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 
1886 


NOTE. 

The  following  address  was  delivered  before  the  officers,  students,  and 
friends  of  the  Jolms  Hopkins  University,  on  Commemoration  Day,  Febru- 
ary 23, 1885.  Part  of  it  was  subsequently  given  before  the  Literary  Societies 
of  Rutgers  College  in  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  before  the  Convo- 
cation of  tlie  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  Albany. 
In  issuing  this  pamphlet,  I  had  intended  to  add  some  illustrative  notes,  but 
the  delay  occasioned  by  the  repetition  has  diverted  me  from  this  purpose, 
and  I  leave  the  text,  without  comment,  in  its  original  form. 

D.  C.  G. 


ADDRESS. 


Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

TO    be    concerned    in    the    establishment    and 
development  of  a   university  is  one  of  the 
noblest    and    most    important    tasks    ever 
imposed   on   a   community  or   on   a   set  of  men. 
It  is  an  undertaking  which  calls  for  the  exercise 
of  the  utmost  care,  for  combination,  cooperation, 
liberality,    inquiry,    patience,    reticence,    exertion 
and  never  ceasing  watchfulness.     It  involves  per- 
plexities, delays,  risks.     Mistakes  cannot  possibly 
be  avoided;  heavy  responsibility  is  never  absent. 
But   history   and   experience    light  up   the   prob- 
lem ;    hope    and  -faith    give    animation    to     the 
builders   when   they    are    weary    and   depressed. 
Deeply  moved  by   these   considerations,  I   desire 
to  bring  before  you,  my  colleagues  in  this   work, 
without    whose    labors    all    would   be    a   failure, 
you  who  are  Trustees,  and  you  who  are  teachers, 
before  the  citizens  of  Baltimore,   and  before  this 
company  of    students    pressing  forward    to    take 
the   places    of  authority   in    the  work  of  educa- 
catiou    and    administration— before    you   all,   my 

a 


560  6:1 


4  Universities  and  Civilization. 

friends,  I  wish  to  bring  some  aspects  of  uni- 
versity life,  which,  if  not  new,  may  perhaps  be 
stated  in  terms  which  are  fresh,  with  illustrations 
drawn  from  our  own  experience. 

I  ask  you  to  reflect  at  this  time  on  the  relation 
OF  Universities  to  the  progress  of  Civiliza- 
tion, and  I  begin  by  assuming  that  we  are  agreed 
substantially  on  the  meaning  of  both  these  terms. 
The    word   university,  as    applied    to   a    learned 
corporation,   is   several    hundred  years   old,   and 
in  all  times  and  lands  has  embodied  the  idea  of 
the   highest  known   agency   for  the  promotion  of 
knowledge  and  the  education  of  youth.     Civiliza- 
tion  is   a   new   word,   hardly   introduced    a   cen- 
tury ago,   though   the   idea  which  it   embodies  is 
as    old    as    organic    society.      Guizot,    to    whose 
eloquence   we   owe   the   popularity   of  this   term, 
avoids  its  formal  delinition,  declaring  in  general 
terms  that  civilization    is   the  grand    emporium 
of    a    people,  in    which   all    its    wealth,   all   the 
elements   of  its  life,  all   the  powers  of  its   exist- 
ence are  stored  up.      "Wherever,"  as  he   goes  on 
to  say,  "the   exterior  condition  of  man    becomes 
enlarged,  quickened  or    improved,   wherever  the 
intellectual  nature  of  man   distinguishes  itself  by 
its   energy,  brilliancy   and   its   grandeur;    where- 
ever   these   two   signs   concur,  and  they  often  do 
so,  notwithstanding  the   gravest  imperfections  in 
the    social    system,    there    man    proc^rams     and 


Five  Social  Forces. 


a 


(( 


applauds  civilization."  Assuming,  then,  that 
by  university  the  highest  school  is  understood, 
and  by  civilization  the  highest  welfare  of  man- 
kind, let  us  inquire  into  the  influence  which 
the  advancement  of  knowledge  by  means  of 
superior  educational  establishments  has  exerted 
or  may   exert  upon  the  progress  of  society. 

A  little  reflection  will  remind  us  of  five  great 
agencies  by  which  modern  Christian  civilization  is 
helped   forward:   first,  the  Family,  unit  of   our 
social  organization,  recognized  by  Aristotle  as  the 
basis  of  society,  and  styled  by  modern  philosophers 
the  focus  of  patriotism"  (Lieber)  and  the  very 
starting  point   of    social    morality"    (Maurice); 
next,  Trade  or  Commerce,  the   exchange  of  one 
man's    products   for  another's,  the  traffic  between 
communities  and  nations;  third.  Law  and  Custom, 
written  and  unwritten,  the  enforcement  of  duties 
and  defense  of  rights,  the  equitable  adjustment  of 
conflicting  claims ;  fourth,  Religion,  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  personal  responsibility  to  an  infinite 
and  all  controlling  Power.     The  last  to  be  named 
is    Knowledge,   the    recorded    observations   and 
experience  of  our  race  in  ancient  and  in  modern 
times,  or  in  other  words  Scientia,  science  in  its 
broadest  significance. 

These  five  influences  working  in  dwelling 
houses,  market  places,  state  houses,  churches, 
libraries  and  schools,  control  our  modern  life ;  and 


6 


Unhersities  and  Civilizaiion. 


«  at  .tate  of  society  is  the  best,  i„  which  domestic 
v.r  ue,    mercantile    honor   and    the    freedom    of 
exchange,   obedience   to   law,   pure   and   undefiled 
ehgjon,  and  the  general  diffusion  of  k'wtd  I 
are  the  dominant  characteristics.     We  are  oS 
_ed  at  present  with  the  last  of  thlle  2 

The    means   bv   whioh    nnr.   ^.       i. 
1,        1    1  ^    »viiicn   our  race  has    acauirpfl 

i     nf  't  r"^^"  -'^  -P---  are  m  ni' 
whi'hh,"         '':""■■''  '^  ""  «-^'  '''I'-ator;. 

Obsir    Ln  7".  "T'  "  '"^"^  experimenting 
Ubservat  on,  exploration,  and  reflection  have  been 

a  hed  in  interpreting  the  physical  characteristics  of 
he  globe,  ever  since  the  primeval  law.  Subdue 
the  earth,  was  heard  by  primitive  man-   exlri 
»ents  in  social  organization  have  also  Lnlde 
on    a    colossal    scale,   and   in   littl„ 
war  has   taught  its   piti  ul    1  •""'■•°«o«ms ; 

-'igion,vi:eandcCas:::rjrT"' 

-t   law,  religion  and  philosop  y    ,:;      .     :?' 

eachers;  customs,  traditions,  epL,  creed     codes 

diff-e  the  knoi   dlrS  ,      k"^"'"^"'  ^"'^ 
b.>t  ever  since   Furml  ''"  *"*'"''■«''; 

--  of  the  ;fd  rurs/r  "'^  r^^- 

-;;amo„,    ,,,   mostt<;te:^t^™r:;ent: 
"  «-  advancement  and  promulgation  of  Ci! 


I 


Foundation  of  Universities.  7 

ing.  Their  domain,  the  republic  of  letters,  has 
been  wider  than  the  boundaries  of  any  state ; 
their  citizens  have  not  been  restricted  to  any 
one  vocabulary ;  thei:  acquisitions  have  been  hid 
in  no  crypt.  They  have  gathered  from  all 
fields  and  distributed  to  all  men.  Themes  the 
most  recondite,  facts  the  most  hidden,  relations 
the  most  complex  have  been  sought  out  and 
studied,  that  if  possible  the  laws  which  govern 
the  world  might  be  discovered,  and  man  made 
better. 

In  one  of  our  halls,  there  hangs  a  diagram 
which  I  never  pass  without  pausing  to  think 
of  its  significance,  listening  as  I  would  before 
the  sphinx  to  discover  if  it  has  any  message 
for  me.  It  contains  a  list  of  European  uni- 
versities founded  since  the  dawn  of  modern 
states, — a  period  of  more  than  seven  centuries,  a 
list  of  over  two  hundred  names.  Every  state  in 
Europe,  every  great  city,  has  its  high  school. 
Popes,  emperors,  kings  and  princes  have  been 
their  founders;  ecclesiastics,  reformers,  republics, 
municipalities,  private  citizens,  munificent  women 
have  contributed  to  their  maintenance.  Wherever 
European  civilization  has  gone,  the  idea  of  the 
university  has  been  carried  with  it,  to  North  and 
South  America,  to  Australia,  even  to  India, 
China  and  Japan;  it  came  with  the  Virginians 
to   Williamsburg,  with   the  New   Englanders  to 


8 


V^niversities  and  CiviUzation. 


Cambridofo  and    \pvv   Tf».rr. 

Cab-fon,:    before   rererV    ^™'  '''"'^'  '" 

on  the  Pacific  sJope  '   "'^''""''^   ^*'**'' 

The  idea  is   often  A^no-nr.    ^^ 

1       ,  vague,  sometimes  perverted 

e~ '     "■f-''--'"l-d,    at    ti.e.    iUated-^' 

be  a  InV,    M;  "'  ''"    ^"'"™""'*y    'here    „u.t 

"'=".  ^«"«">.  C'->l>ping,  crowning,  biiulino-  ,11 

ot!«.r  ia.t.tutio„s  for  the  advancemen   of  ^^^ 

ii]!?toncai  illustrations. 

^otwith&tandino-    the    o-mof 
l^rv.  *  -^^^'^*    renown    of   Chir 

founded  upon   the  ,„■      pi       f    "    '"'""    """' 
(Mr.   MuIJino,,.)    .„•;    " '"    "    "•™'^"'    '"'it-^'- 

n   ,,        "'"  ^'"'""'■^  "'    Cl.ar.es  the  Great  and 
a  still   more    recent    writer    Ti-^-.    R     t     ,.    . 

""t    onlv    hv    vir(„'.\f    w         !■        '""•    ""    " 

Novthern   race,     «     f     .,  "'""""""    "^  "'« 

the  world  a           n      ^'   *'"'"    '=>    ''"'«    '"    '••"« 
0  wo,  Id  as  the  Ilo ,,,  ,,„,.,  ,ione  before  the,,,  " 

A    monk   of   St     (i-iil    i 
"■''"t  pnn,„rt,    tn   1  "'    '"'™'"'"'    <■'"•  "» 

wl„U,    learning    was    introduced 


Charlemagne  and  the  Monks. 


M 


into  the  Frankisli  empire,  and  although  the 
extract  is  long  I  am  sure  it  will  not  weary 
you,  as  I  read  from  the  translation  of  Mr.  Poole. 
"  PF/im,"  says  the  monk,  "Me  illustrious  Charles 
had  begun  to  reign  alone  in  the  western  farts  of 
the  loorld,  and  the  study  of  letters  was  everywhere 
well-nigh  forgotten,  in  such  sort  that  the  worship  of 
the  true  God  declined,  it  chanced  that  two  Scots 
from  Ireland  lighted  with  the  British  merchants  on 
the  coast  of  Gaul,  men  learned  without  compare, 
as  well  in  secular,  as  in  sacred  writings;  who,  since 
they  shewed  nothing  for  sale,  kept  crying  to  the 
crowd  that  gathered  to  buy.  If  any  man  is  desirous 
of  wisdom,  let  him  come  to  us  and  receive  it;  for 
we  have  it  to  sell.  This  therefore  they  declared  they 
had  for  sale,  since  they  saw  the  people  to  traffic  not 
in  gifts  but  in  saleable  things^  so  that  they  thus  might 
either  urge  them  to  purchase  wisdom  like  other  goods 
or,  as  the  events  following  Jiew,  turn  them  by  such 
declaration  to  wonder  and  astonishment.  At  length 
their  cry  being  long  continued  urns  brought  by  cer- 
tain that  wondered  at  them  or  deemed  them  mad, 
to  the  ears  of  Charles,  the  king,  always  a  lover 
and  most  desirous  of  wisdom:  who,  when  he  had 
called  them  with  all  haste  into  his  presence,  enquired 
if  as  he  understood  by  report,  they  had  wisdom 
verily  with  them.  Yea,  said  they,  we  have  it  and 
are  ready  to   impart   to  any  that  rightly  seek  it  in 

rr  itcn    met  cjvi  c    nc    nati 


the 


0 


f  *h 


t,-fc 


Lord. 


2 


10 


irnkersities  and  Civilization. 


^keremth  to  clothe  ourselves.     aearir,g  this  he  was 
filled  with  great  joy."^  "* 

Several   instances    in   n,oder„   history   may   be 
cted,  ,n  each  of  which  the  close  of  a  Jreat  civil 

A   lUtle   ^ore^than^lhl^tnLrrer^:- 
Leyden,   so  lately  freed  from  the   horror     o  "  a 

-ege,  "so   lately  the   victin.  of  fomine  and   pes 
t'lence    had   crowned   itself  with    flowers'       'Z 
university  was  to  be  inaugurated      inth.  , 

procession  rode  a  female  «,ure  the    Ly  gS 
attended  bv  Four  Fv..,. ..  r  ^       .,  "^  ^"spei, 

u>    loiii  I.\anoelists;   then  came   othor 

-'.  ;n,nitaries.    ^rL^"      .!  Stt 

ana^r^h:;:;:;  :rc;:,^!-' '^  Apollo 
i^uions  found  further  ;:I:^.:■,'::^-- 

Lutin    poem  "      T    l...,.     *  i  ,  '-Jogant 

-  .vou'  doubtie..  ;•:';:„  '7  ^'»'--"». 
j'""7:-' the :;.;;:;:,  :/:ir;;;; 

Countries     n    ro^uvct   f..   <i    •          •  . 
truer   ini])ressi„n    of    the    u«.rl-    H 

would   be  <nvoM    1                              '^^  ^nnuo-urated 

yveu    by   recounting    the  roll    of  the 


Universities  founded  in  Social  Crises.  11 

great  men  who  have  taught  in  that  university 
and  of  the  great  scholars  whom  they  have 
trained.  Grotius,  Descartes,  Scaliger,  Boerhave, 
Wyttenbach,  Arminius  and  Gomar  were  among 
the  early  scholars  who  resided  in  Ley  den,  and 
the  list  might  be  extended  until  it  reached  our 
own  contemporaries  and  our  own  countrymen. 

A  few  years  earlier,  when  the  Reformation  in 
England  was  nearly  completed,  Henry  the  Eighth 
re-organized  the  Universitv  of  Cambridsre  and  laid 
the  foundations  of  that  splendid  college,  which 
might  be  called  a  university  in  itself,  if  ever  a 
college  could  claim  the  more  comprehensive  name, 
Trinity  College,  which  before  the  century  had 
passed,  trained  for  the  world  that  great  triumvirate 
whose  statues  glorify  the  approach  to  the  chapel, 
Isaac  Barrow,  Lord  Bacon,  and  Sir  Isaac  Xewton, 
qui  genus  humanum  iiifjenio  superavit.^ 

The  foundation  of  the  Universitv  of  Berlin  is  a 
noteworthy  modern  instance  of  the  erection  of  a 
great  higli-school,  in  a  time  of  national  sorrow. 
The  story  has  often  been  given  and  was  recently 
made  the  opening  passage  in  an  inaugural  address 
by  Helmholtz.  Prussia  had  been  overrun  by 
France,  the  resources  of  thi^  state  were  almost 
exhausted,  but  Frederick  \\'illiani  the  Third,  led 
on  by  W'iJliani  Von  Humboldt,  8tein,  and  other 
great  intellects,  determined  to  infuse  new  spirit 
into  a  despondent  Deople,  bv  cuuforrini]^  on  theui 


12 


UniversUies  and  Cimlization. 


the  greatest  benefit  which   it  was  in   his  power 

"Iter      n   ,h     r  '■'^"""'^''«""'    ^^at    monarch's 
»reate.  son,  the  Emperor  William,  when  Strass 

<  n„est  and  best  of  German  high-schools. 
themTt  r^f '  "'  """^'•^'"^^  ^-"''«1  each  of 

": :: ;;;  n°:^ir  rre:::Ltrr;- 

^unaation  was    projected   at  Trrof^^ciW^ 

who  i;;' ,  17  •'^"  ""'^-  ^i"^y--" 

Ho.a„k;i:£Sl;^ro^"^''"•^''*^" 

"T+oii^        1     ,     ^"i*'^",   iias  often   said   to   me 
'^o'^e,  ana  that  is  the  nniversitv  "  on.] 

S:„'mf .r •  ^"•"^,  ^f -'-  --■-  ^^'  - 

^niistian  forces  coine   tniP      T.v.  • 

too  shorf     nnrl     +1  •  "®'        -L^l'C  IS 

to  hav     ;.;l      ■'  "  '""  """''  """"  '"  l-^"  "-o, 
trovcrsv""^  "■''""■^'•^  *^"«"=''  >"  barren  con- 

I  hiiVQ  made  these  histonV-il  .jt     • 
which  r  am  wpll  ^''^^^'^^^^^  alhi.sions,  most  of 

™i-he  :s:i?  H';riu;:;r> -^•'-" 

^'^  IS  It  that  universities  are 


I 


Universities  develop  Manliness. 


13 


power 
liberal 
t  rank, 
n  arch's 
Strass- 
mined 
',   and 
g   the 

ich  of 
often 
^  our 

civil 
lat  it 

and 
ician 

the 

me, 
hich 
and 
just 
Jic- 
e  is 
me, 
an- 

of 

to 

ire 


so  highly  esteemed?  What  are  the  advantages 
which  follow  their  foundation  ?  Remembering  that 
a  university  is  the  best  organization  for  the  liberal 
education  of  individuals,  and  the  best  organization 
for  the  advancement  of  science,  apply  the  double 
test, — what  is  done  for  personal  instruction,  and 
what  is  done  for  the  promotion  of  knowledge,  and 
you  will  be  able  to  judge  any  institution  which 
assumes  this  name. 

Ask,  first,  is  it  a  place  of  sound  education? 
Are  the  youth  who  are  trained  within  its  walls, 
honest  lovers  of  the  truth,— are  they  learned, 
are  they  ready,  are  they  trustworthy  ?  When  they 
leave  the  academic  classes,  do  they  soon  find 
a  demand  for  their  services?  Do  they  rise  in 
professional  life?  Are  they  sought  for  as  teach- 
ers? Do  they  show  aptitude  for  mercantile, 
administrative,  or  editorial  life?  Do  they  acquit 
themselves  with  credit  in  the  public  service? 
Do  the  books  they  write  find  ])ublishers?  Do 
they  win  repute  among  those  who  have  added 
to  the  sum  of  huuian  kuowled<>e?  Have  thev 
the  power  of  enjoying  literature,  music,  art? 
Can  they  apply  the  lessons  of  history  to  the 
problems  of  our  dav  ?  Are  thev  always  eauer 
to  enlarge  tiieir  knowledge?  Do  they  become 
cuiiservative  members  of  sori- tv,  seeking  for 
progress  by  steady  improvcme;.ts  rather  than 
by   the   powers  of    destruction   and    death?    Are 


14 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


they    useful,    courteous,    cooperative    citizens,    in 
all   the  relations   of  life?    Do   the   charities,   the 
churches,   the   schools,   the   public   affairs   of   the 
community   receive  their   constant  consideration? 
Are  there  frequent  manifestations    among   them, 
of    unusual    ability   in    science,    in   literature,   in 
oratory,   in   administration?    As    the   roll   of  the 
alumni   increases   and  the  graduates  are  counted 
by  hundreds   and   not   by   scores,  does  it  appear 
that  a   large   proportion   are    men    of  honorable, 
faithful,   learned   and    public   spirited   character? 
These   are  the   questions   by   which  as  the  years 
go  on,   a   university  is   to   be   tested,    or  to  sum 
all   questions   in   one,  is   it  proved  to  be  a  place 
for  the  development  of  manliness  ? 

I  beg  leave  to  dwell  a  little  longer  upon  this 
text,    because    I    think    there    is    danger    of    its 
importance     being     overlooked.       The"    material 
resources  of  a  university,   the  ag-regate  numbers 
who  attend  its  courses,  its  numerous  buildings,  its 
great  collections  appeal  to  everybody,— only  those 
who  look  at  results,  are  competent  to  give  a  con- 
clusive opinion,  and  tlieir  opinion  cannot  be  formed 
in    one    decade.     A    generation    is    the    briefest 
period   for  a   fair    review.      When    the    year    of 
our  Lord   1900  comes,  this  foundation    will    bo  a 
quarter   of   a   century  old.      To    that  remote  tri- 
bunal  we  appeal    for  judgment    on   our  work   of 
to-day.       But     we      may     anticipate     tliis     final 


Numerical  Estimates. 


15 


verdict,  and  ascertain  by  our  own  inspection 
and  inquiry  what  is  done  in  any  institution 
for  the  education  of  youth,  what  opportunities 
are  afforded,  how  those  advantages  are  regarded 
by  the  most  intelligent  young  men,  and  what 
kind  of  scholarship  is  developed  at  the  termina- 
tion  of  the   academic  course. 

Here  let  me  protest  against  the  common  method 
of    estimating    intellectual    work    by    numerical 
standards  alone.     I  have  heard  it  said  that  some 
men  are  possessed  by  a  statistical  devil.     They  can 
only  think  in  figures  ;  they  will  ask,  in  respect  to  a 
new  acquaintance,  how  much   is   he  worth;   of  a 
library  how  many  volumes ;  of  an  orchestra  how 
many  pieces ;  of  a  college  how  many  students.     I 
have  known  the  expenses  of  an  institution  made 
a   dividend,    and    the    number    of    scholars    the 
divisor,    the    quotient    representing    the    cost    of 
each   pupil.     All   this   is   wrong,   absolutely  and 
wholly  wrong.     If  such   a   standard   were   allow- 
able, the  largest  number  of  scholars  taught  by  the 
cheapest  toacher  would  be  the  greatest  success.     It 
is    ii(»t   the   number   but   the   quality  of  students 
which  determines  the  character  of  a  high  school. 
It  is  important  to  count;  it  is  better  to  weigh.=' 

Having  spoken  of  what  the  university  does  for 
individuals,  I  add  tliat  it  has  a  second  function. 
It  benefits  associated  as  well  as  individual  man. 
It   renders   services   to   the  community  which  no 


16 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


demon  of  statistics  can  ever  estimate,   no  mathe- 
matical   process   ever    develop.     These    functions 
may  be   stated   as   the   acquisition,    conservation, 
refinement  and  distribution  of  knowledge. 
These  carefully  chosen  words  I  proceed  to  explain. 
First,   it    is    the    business    of   a   university  to 
advance   knowledge;    every  professor  must  be  a 
student.     ]N^  history  is   so   remote   that   it   may 
be  neglected;  no  law  of  mathematics  is  so  hidden 
that    it    may    not    be  sought  out;    no    problem 
in    respect    to    physics    is     so    difficult    that    it 
must  be  shunned.     JSo  love  of  ease,  no  dread  of 
labor,  no  fear  of  consequences,  no  desire  for  wealth 
will  divert  a  band  of  well  chosen  professors  from 
uniting  their  forces   in  the   prosecution  of  study. 
Rather   let  me   say  that    there    are   heroes    and 
martyrs,   prophets    and    apostles   of   learning   as 
there  are  of  religion.     To  the  claims  of  duty,  to 
the   responsibilities   of   station,   to   the   voices   of 
enlightened    conscience    such    men   respond,   and 
they  throw  their  hearts  into  their  work  with   as 
much  devotion,  and  as  little  selfishness,  as  it  is 
possible  for  human  nature  to  exhibit.      By  -their 
labors,   knowledge   has    been   accumulated,   intel- 
lectual   capital    has    been    acquired.       In    these 
processes  of  investigation  the  leading  universities 
of  tlie   world   have   always   been   engaged. 

This  is  what  laboratories,  museums  and  libraries 
signify.     Nothing  is  foreign  to  their  purpose,  and 


Universities  are  Conservative. 


17 


those  v/lio  work  in  them  are  animated  by  the 
firm  belief  that  the  advancement  of  knowledge 
in  any  direction  contributes  to  the  welfare  of 
man.  Nor  is  research  restricted  to  material 
things;  the  scholars  of  a  university  are  equally 
interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  nature  of 
man,  the  growth  of  society,  the  study  of  lan- 
guage, and  the  establishment  of  the  principles 
of  intellectual   and   moral   conduct. 

2.  Universities  are  conservative.     They  encour- 
age the  study  of  the  history,  the  philosophy,  the 
poetry,  the  drama,   the  politics,   the  religion,  in 
fine,  the  experience  of  antecedent   ages.     Succes- 
sors' of  the  ancient  monasteries,  they  keep  alive 
in   our   day   the  kno. 'ledge  of  ancient  languages 
and    art,  enrich    the    literature    of    our    mother 
tongue,  hold  up  to  us  the  highest    standards  of 
excellence  in  writing  and  enable  us  to  share  in  the 
thoughts  of   the    noblest  of   our    race.      Let  me 
especially    remind   you    that  to    the    universities 
men  turn  instinctively  for  light  on  the  interpre- 
tation of  the  Scriptures.     When  new  manuscripts 
are  discovered,  or  new  versions  are  proposed,  or 
new  monuments  are  unearthed,  it  is  to  the  uni- 
versities, where   the    knowledge    of    ancient    and 
remote    tongues    has    been    cherished,    that    the 
religious    world    looks    for    enlightenment     and 
guidance.     Their    dominant  intluence    is    highly 
spiritualizing ;  I  would   even  go  farther  and   say 


18 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


ha^  It  ,s  truly  religious.  I  am  not  unmindful 
that  wUhm  the  academic  circles  men  are  found 
-hose  s,H„tual  insight  is  but  dim,-so  it  is  in 
all  other  c,rcles,-but  I  assert  without  fear  of 
co„trad,ct,on,  that  the  influence  of  study  is,   on 

We,  to  the  development  of  uprightness,  unselfish- 
noBS  and  i^„th,  or,  in  other  words,  it  is  opposed 
to  epicureamsm  and  materialism.    In  belief  there 

ebb  and  flow;  but  the  great  ocean  is  there,  with 
Its  deep  mysteries,  unchanging  amid  all  super- 
f :    e-'-ges.     Faith,  with   all  its  fluctuatil^  , 

JJ/TIT"'"    '■'"'""'°-     '^^^y    "re    con. 

terns  of    ^  !""'  '"""'•''''''  "^y  '"'"«»*«  ^y=- 

tems  of   cooperation,  and  by  ingenious  methods 

engaged  m  eliminating  human  errors  and  in  sub.' 
»Ut.„g  all  mherited  possessions  to  those  processes 
Jnch  remove  the  dross  and  perpetuate  the  go  d 
Ko  truth  winch  has  once  been  discovered  is  allowed 
to  pe„sh,-but  the  incrustations  which  cover  '  t 

oJWer   generations    boS'tf  tX^^^^^ 

>=;edri:T  :::,;■:: '^r""^^^ 
"'*-■'«  p'-o-goeVot'Lir'aiiir: 


■'=fe- 


Universities  diffuse  Knowledge. 


19 


plaudits  or  reproaches.  If  their  lessons  are  hard 
to  the  beginners,  they  lead  the  persevering  to 
high  enjoyment. 

4.  Universities  distribute  knowledge.  The 
scholar  does  but  half  his  duty  who  simply 
acquires  knowledge.  He  must  share  his  posses- 
sions with  others.  This  is  done  in  the  first 
place  by  the  instruction  of  pupils.  Experience 
has  certainly  demonstrated  that  with  rare  excep- 
tions, those  men  are  most  learned  who  produce 
most.  The  process  of  ac(iuiring  seems  to  be  pro- 
moted by  that  of  imparting.  The  investigator  who 
is  surrounded  by  a  bright  circle  of  friendly  inqui- 
sitors and  critics,  finds  his  best  powers  developed 
by  this  influence.  JVext  to  its  visible  circle  of 
l^upiis,  the  university  should  impart  its  acqui- 
sitions to  the  world  of  scholars.  Learned 
publications  are  therefore  to  be  encouraged.  But 
beyond  these  formal  and  well  recognized  means 
of  communicating  knowledge,  universities  have 
innumerable  less  obvious,  but  not  less  useful 
opportunities  of  conveying  their  benefits  to  the 
outside   world.^ 

These  general  principles  I  propose  to  illus- 
trate by  asking  you  to  go  with  me  around  the 
circle  of  the  sciences,  that  we  may  observe  the 
part  which  universities  have  taken  or  should 
take  in  respect  to  various  departments  of 
knowledge. 


20 


m- 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


Let  me    begin    by    saying    that   a    university 

hould  chscover  and  teach  all  that   can  be  know! 

of  the  Human  Body.     If  .^ou  ask  me  why  this  is  L 

important,  I  reply,  in  order  th.,+   . 

be  /ihlp  +^  1     1    -^^'Z"  «»^er  that  everyone   may 

rational   1  fe   than  is   now   possible   for  the  want 
of  more   knowledo-e      Homi,'fol«  . 

allpvinfo  .  ^    •  -tiospitals   are   essential   to 

alleviate  suiierino-s  wliiph  imx.^  r. 

mpo  Unt    to     Immanity    is    the    laboratory    i,. 
which  are  studied  the  law's  of  lire.     A  celebraterf 

and  :th?;\err'T::  "'rn  ^-^  "^"■" 

ailments     may     ea  Iv    h  f   """'  '"""' 

number    of   efficient    H  ''°"'''''     ^"'^     ^'^^ 

creaserl       '.''*'"';"'    '''^y^    ""ay    be    largely    in- 

vhtl    used  L""  '""'  ^''^^  "any "diseases 

betve:ted\:aTh*^'''^''r'"-"^'''-^ 

within  si-h>   nf  ,         ''''""y    '"•""Sht    »« 

ifinn    I.  ^ereoial  excitement  and  de2-ener- 

-he   restoration    to  their   normal   actiy-tv   of   T 


results 


^^^cl  af  these  anticipations, 


Biology. 


21 


liversity 
3  known 
his  is  so 
He   may 
d   more 
le  want 
itial   to 
ntered ; 
II  more 
ory    in 

ibrated 
3ars  of 
man," 
minor 
I  the 
y  in- 
seases 

may 
it  us 
I  still 
lence. 
ously 
auses 
ener- 

and 

for 

the 
view 
ions, 


it  is  clearly  the  duty  of  a  university  to 
study  all  the  forms  and  functions  of  life  which  are 
manifested  in  organisms  loAver  than  man,  all  the 
laws  which  govern  animal  and  vegetable  growth, 
all  that  can  possibly  throw  light  on  human 
physiology. 

Those  who  are  devoted  to  research  of  this  kind, 
revealing  with  their  n)icroscopes  the  structure 
and  the  life  histories  of  ihe  minutest  organisms, 
are  constantly,  and  in  most  unexpected  ways, 
coming  upon  new  illustrations  of  the  plan  of 
creation,  which  have  an  important  bearing  upon 
the  welfare  of  man.  They  are  the  interpre- 
ters of  nature  and  the  benefactors  of  humanity; 
and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  add  that  if  there  is  any 
branch  of  learning  which  at  the  present  time 
deserves  the  most  generous  support,  it  is  surely 
Biology,  because  of  its  obvious  relations  to  the 
health  and  happiness  of  every  human  being.  I 
cannot  but  think  that  those  who  oppose  its 
study  will  be  ranked  in  future  years  anion "• 
the   obscurantists  of  the  nineteenth   century." 

Next,  I  mention  as  the  subject  for  university 
study.  Psychology,  the  nature  of  man's  soul,  tiie 
characteristics  of  his  mental  and  moral  activity. 
This  science  has  lately  made  great  progress, — it 
has  improved  its  methods  and  enlarged  its  scope. 
Those  who  are  devoted  to  it  appreciate  the  inher- 
ited experiences  of  the  human  race  and  are  not 


95> 


ifniversiiies  and  Civilization. 


indifferent   to    the    lessons   which    m.v 

the    manifestations  of   intellectual   and    sSua 
We;  but,  on   the  other  hand,  they  are  not  Xd 
to   enquire,  and   they  kn,„r  how  to 
the  physical   conditions    u  d  r    ,v^-e     Th "    •"': 
^^    they    watch   the   sponL:  L™::' 

.-thee:eei:s:;ti;:Tf;::::ra::r;,Hr'r 
a  ciLiirr-th::'  ^r-'-  r  '^ 

research    a.on,  whichl.p:l:i:'t"t,,f 

will  be   l,„t       ""/""^    "f   progressive  n.oralitv 
'  ^'    "f""-   ""^lerstood,   so   that  more    whole 

1  '"'t     lo    modern    investio-ators    n^    +1. 

were   to   J.eibnify   .,,,1    «   •  c^l^^is    as    they 

-'."inas,  to  ::!:av  ::;'7;;t:\r'^'' -'^ 

of  .nan's   conscious  respo     ib  li       ',,    "•  7^'^'''''       ' 

•";: ;■'''^^^'•'-•e^■.tlnst.;t;^•;;,;;''''■■'''"''^ 

t3<>iiinion    sense    hnf    f    i    i- 
that  standing   Hrn.    <„.  fi  ^    ^''''^'^'^ 

^  "^   '"  '^'^^   I'-tuhttes,  God,  Soul 


Psychology. 


23 


and  Immortality,  it  will  in  years  to  come  disen- 
tangle many  perplexities,  brush  away  heaps  of 
verbal  accumulations,  and  lead  the  mind  to  f  arer 
and  nobler  conceptions  of  righteousness  and  duty. 
I  go  even  farther  and,  as  I  believe  that  one  truth 
is  never  in  conflict  with  another  truth,  so  I  believe 
that  the  ethics  of  the  New  Testament  will  be 
accepted  by  the  scientific  as  well  as  the  religious 
faculties  of  man;  to  the  former,  as  Law;  to  the 
latter,  as  Gospel. 

In  confii^mation  of  these  views,  let  me  quote  to 
you  the  language  of  that  one  among  us  who  is  best 
qualified  to  speak  upon  this  subject. 

"The  new  psychology,  which  brings  simply  a 
new  method  and  a  new  stand-point  to  philosophy, 
is,  I  believe.  Christian  to  its  root  and  centre ;  and 
its  final  mission  in  the  world  is  not  merely  to  trace 
petty  harmonies  and  small  adjustments  between 
science  and  religion,  but  to  flood  ami  transfuse  the 
new  and  vaster  conceptions  of  the  universe  and  of 
man's  place  in  it — now  slowly  taking  form  and 
giving  to  reason  a  new  cosmos  and  involving 
momentous  and  far  reaching  ])ractical  and  social 
consecjuences — with  the  old  scriptural  sense  of 
unity,  rationality  and  love  beneath  and  above  all, 
with  all  its  wide  consequences.  The  IJible  is  being 
slowly  re-revealed  as  mail's  great  text-book  in 
psychology,  dealing  with  him  as  a  whole,  his  body, 

tions  to  nature 


•(••ni*    V(» 


24 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


and  society,  which  has  been  so  misappreciated 
simply  because  it  is  so  deeply  divine.  That  some- 
thing may  be  done  here  to  aid  this  development  " 
continues  the  lecturer,  "is  my  strongest  hope  and 
belief."  ^ 

The    study    of    Society    engages     the    earnest 
interest  of   another  set   of   n,en,    and  the   appa- 
ratus   of  their   laboratory   includes  archajologieal 
and  historical   memorials   of   the  activity   of  the 
race.     Tlie  domain  of  history  and  political  science 
has  never  been    cultivated    as  it    is  'in   modern 
times      The    discovery   of   primeval    monuments 
and  the  interi.rotatiou  of  long  hidden  inscriptions, 
the   publication   of   ancient  documents   once    hid 
in   monasteries   and    governmental    archives,   the 
inquiry  into   prinutive   forms   of  social  organisa- 
tion,   the    development    „f    improved    modes    of 
research,   the   scieutillc   collection    and    classifica- 
tion  of  facts   which    illustrate    the    condition    of 
ancient  and   modern   communities  and  especially 
ho  interest  awakened   in   the  growth  of  institu- 
tions  and   constitutions,   give    to    this    ohlest    of 
stm  los  the  freshest  interest.     Papers  which  have 
lately     been     printed     on     rudinu'iitarv     societv 
'""""g  boys,   on   the   laws   of   the   n,i„'in,.  can,,, 

;;"  '  !;;.  f"»'"'^"i">.-^   of  a  socialist  «„ uui.v,  on' 

the  ddlereuces  between  parlian,eu(arv  and  con'.rres- 
sional  government,  on  the  derivation  of  m.idern 
customs  from  the  ancient  lje.nnni.,„»  „f  .1, 


innings  of 


Lue  iiryan 


History  and  Social  Science. 


25 


reciated 
b  some- 
)inent," 
>pe  and 

earnest 
appa- 
logical 
of  the 
science 
lodern 
ments 
)tions, 
3    hid 
^,   the 
[iniza- 
es    of 
sifica- 
'n    of 
cially 
Htitu- 
>t    of 
have 
ciety 
imp, 
\  on 
;res- 
ik'rn 
iyan 


people,  on  the  nature  of  communism  and  many 
more  such  themes  afford  illustrations  of  the  mode 
in  which  the  historical  student  among  us,  following 
the  lines  of  Stubbs,  Maine,  Freeman,  Seeley,  Blunt- 
schli,  Roscher,  and  other  celebrated  workers,  are 
advancing  historical  science,  and  developing  the 
true  historical  spirit.  The  aim  of  all  these  inqui- 
ries is  to  help  on  the  progress  of  modern  society 
by  showing  how  the  fetters  which  now  bind  us 
were  forged,  by  what  patient  filing  they  must  be 
severed,  find  at  the  same  time  to  work  out  the 
ideal  of  a  society  in  which  Liberty  is  everywhere, 
but  "  Liberty  sustained  by  Law."  ^ 

Languages  and  Literature  have  always  received 
attention  in  universities,  and  will  always  be  dom- 
inant for  reasons  which  are  as  enduring  as  lan- 
guage itself.  We  study  tongues  that  we  may 
know  the  men  of  other  climes  and  other  days ;  we 
study  literature  to  enjoy  it.  As  an  aid  to  inter- 
course with  people  of  other  nations  and  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  up  with  the  record  of  modern 
science,  nobody  doubts  that  the  modern  languag(\s 
are  to  be  encouraged ;  but  if  we  really  would  own 
the  inhcTiiance  which  is  our  birthright,  if  we  wish 
to  appreciate  the  master-])ieces  of  literature,  if  it 
is  well  to  put  ourselves  in  sym[»;ithy  with  iiian- 
kiiid,  to  laugh  with  those  who  have  laughed,  and 
weep  with  those  who  have  wept,  we  must  not  be 
restricted  to  the  writings  of  to  day.     In  t^cience,  it 


26 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


has  been  said,  read  the  newest  and  latest;  not  so 
ill   literatiire,_but   tlie   best.      Isaiah   and   John 
Homer    and    ^Eschyliis,   Cicero    and    Virgil,   the' 
Nibeliingen   Lied    and    Chaucer,   Dante   and   Pe- 
trarch,  are  as  full  of  life,  beauty,  instruction  and 
entertainment    to    us    as    to   former  generations. 
But  from  the  classical  standard  of  excellence  this 
busy  world  would  soon  depart,  were  it  not  that  in 
every  university  there  are  scholars  keeping  bright 
the  altar  fires,  and  warming  us  with  the  "glow"' of 
their  enthusiasm,  whenever  we  come   under  their 
influence,--sharpening  too  our  wits  by  their  crit- 
ical  acumen. 

It  is  not  uncommon,  now-a-days,  to  hear  objec- 
tions to  classical  education,  usually  from  those  who 
have  never  had  it,and  declamations  againstdead  Ian- 
guages,  usually  from  those  who  have  never  learned 
them.   But  the  Humanists  may  unquestionably  leave 
It  to  the  Geologists  to  fight  the  battle  for  antiquity 
The   latter  assure    us   that   the   older  the   fossils 
the  more  instructive  their  lessons;  indeed  so  much 
importance  is  attached  to  ancient  animal  life  that 
the   national   government,   with    great    liberalitv 
encourages   its   study  by  ],romoting  exploration^' 
museums,  and  costly  publications.     Be  it  so;  but 
let  not  the  nation  which  does  this,  forget  that  men 
are  of  "  more  value  than  many  sparrows;"   that 
the  0  dest  literature  is  not  old  or  dead,  but  fresh 
and  living  in  con.parison   with  the  bones  of  the 


Languages  and  Literature, 


27 


cave  dwellers;  and  that  thougli  a  megatherium 
is  wonderfully  instructive,  an  ancient  Epic  or  a 
Drama  is  not  unworthy  of  attention. 

Jebb,  in  his  life  of  Bentley,  asserts  that  probably 
*'  the  study  of  classical  antiquity,  in  the  largest  sense, 
has  nev^er  been  more  really  vigorous  than  it  is  at  the 
present  day."     We  might  add  that  classical  poetry 
has  never  been  so  popular— else  why  these  innu- 
merable editions  and  translations?      Why,  after 
Worsley,  Butcher,  Bryant  and  their  predecessors, 
are  we  reading  aloud  and  smiling  over  the  immor- 
tal Odyssey  as  it  is  given  to  us  in  the  rhythmical 
prose  of  Palmer?     This  is  a  good  sign;  only  it  is 
well  to  remember  that  reading  translations  is  not 
reading  Greek,  and,  as  Jebb  goes  on  to  say,  we 
must  not  forget  the  difference  between  "  the  know- 
ledge at  second-hand,"  which  the  intelligent  public 
can  possess,  and  "the  knowledge  at  first  hand", 
which  it  is  the  business  of  the  libraries  and  profes- 
sorships of  a  university  to  perpetuate. 

If  the  defenders  of  classical  study  would  confine 
their  argument  to  the  line  which  was  lately  fol- 
lowed by  Butcher,  they  would  silence  their  oppo- 
nents. "  To  Greece,"  he  says,  "  we  owe  the  love  of 
science,  the  love  of  art,  the  love  of  freedom— not 
science  alone,  art  alone,  or  freedom  alone,  but  these 
vitally  correlated  with  one  another  and  brought 
into  organic  union.  .  .  .  The  (Jreek  genius  is  the 
Eur<»pean  genius  in  its  first  and  brightest  bloom. 


28 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


m 


From  a  vivifying  contact  with  the  Greek  spirit, 
Europe  derived  that  new  and  mighty  impulse 
Avhich  we  call  progress." 

But  I  must  not  pass  from  the  subject  without  a 
word  upon  the  study  of  language  in  general,  that 
faculty  of  the  human  race  which  was  never  half 
understood  until  the  universities  of  Germany  en- 
tered upon  the  study  of  comparative  philology,  by 
the  introduction  of  Sanscrit  study.  With  this  new 
torch  they  have  thrown  a  flood  of  light  upon  the 
nature  of  speech,  the  history  of  our  race,  the 
brotherhood  of  nations  and  the  development  of 
ideas  which  lie  at  the  basis  of  all  Indo-European 
civilization. 

The  Shemitic  tongues  have  long  been  subjects 
of  university  study,  especially  Hebrew  and  Arabic 
—the  former  so  much  esteemed  as  the  language  of 
the  Old  Testament  that  it  used  to  be  spoken  of  as 
the   language   of  Paradise,  and   the   latter   being 
regarded  as  a  key  to  the  ideas  and  religion,  the 
ancient  literature  and  science,  of  one  of  the  largest 
families   of  men.     Of  late  years   the   domain   of 
Shemitic  study  has  been  widened;  libraries  long 
hidden  have  been  exhumed  on  the  sites  of  ancient 
Babylon  and  Nineveh ;  records,  the  very  existence 
of  which  was  unknown  at  the  beginning  of  this 
century,  written  in  characters  to  wliich  there  was 
then   but   the   slightest    clue,   are   now   read   and 
printed  and  studied  as   a  part  of  the  history  of 


Mathematics. 


29 


mankind.  Assyrian  becomes  a  language  of  univer- 
sity  study— not,  indeed,  for  many  scholars,  but  for 
a  few,  and  the  bearing  of  their  discoveries  is  so 
important  upon  the  language  and  history  of  the 
Hebrews  that  one  of  the  most  learned  of  English 
theologians  has  recently  said  that,  in  respect  to 
certain  of  the  obscurer  passages  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, the  world  must  wait  for  the  light  which 
would  come  from  Assyriology. 

Certainly,  if  the  history  of  mankind  is  worth 
studying,  if  the  lessons  of  the  past  are  of  value, 
lano-uag^'e  and  literature,  the  ancient,  the  modern, 
the°  primitive  and  the  cultivated,  will  never 
be  neglected  among  the  studies  of  an  enlight- 
ened community.^ 

When    we    turn    from    Man    to    his    environ- 
ment   we    soon    perceive   thot   mathematics    lies 
at  the  basis  of  all  our  knowledge  of  this  world. 
To   count,   to   measure   and   to   weigh,   are    steps 
in   civilization,   and  as  we   extend  our  powers  in 
these   directions,   we  find   that   even  the  distance 
and   mass  of  the  planets,  the  form  of   the  earth, 
the  velocity   of   light,   the   mechanical  eqmvalent 
of   heat,     and    the     unit   of    electrical    resistance 
mav   be   accurately  ascertained,  and    the    results, 
with     manv    of    the    ideas    which    they    involve, 
may   become   a   part   of   the    intellectual    posses- 
sions  of   every   educated   person.      Yet  when  we 
reflect    that    hardly    any    branch    of   knowledge 


30 


Umversiiies  and  Civilization. 


IS  so  depreciated  by  the  average  man  as  the 
modern  advancement  of  pure  mathematics,  we 
must  believe  that  its  influence  upon  civilization 
IS   not  sufficiently   considered. 

Professsor  Cayley,  in  a  recent  address,  alluded 
to  the  connection  of  mathematics   with  common 
life,   on   the    one    hand,    and    with    the    deepest 
questions   of   philosophy,   for  example  the  meta- 
physical  ideas  of  time  and  space,  on  the  other 
As   to   Its    utility,    he    declared    that    he   would 
defend  this  science  as   Socrates  defended  justice 
quite  irrespectively   of  wordly    advantages,-and 
then     he    proceeds     to     show    the    relations    of 
mathematics   to   the  certainty  of   knowledge,  and 
to  emphasize  the  idea  that  mathematical  science  is 
not  built  upon  experience  but  upon  certain  funda- 
mental assumptions,-which  are  indeed  found  to 
be  m   conformity   with   experience.     I   wish  that 
every  student,   however   remote   his  studies  may 
be  from  mathematical   text-books,  would   turn  to 
the  opening  passages  of  this  discourse,  and  steadv 
h.s  own  mental  equilibrium  by  the  assurance  tha't 
the     science  ^  which     is     most    exact,    and   most 
satisfactory    m    its    reasonings,     is    based     upon 
tnndamental  postulates   which   are  .assumed   and 
not   proved   by   experiment.     "In   the   theory   of 
numbers,     he   says,  "  these   are  very  ren,arkable 
instances   .,f   propositions   observed   to  hold  good 
for    very    long    series   of    „umhers,-and    ,Wiich 
are  nevertheless   untrue" 


CuiBono9 


31 


If  you  persist  in  taking  the  utilitarian  view 
and  ask  me  what  is  the  good  of  Mr.  Glaisher's 
determination  of  the  least  factors  of  the  missing 
three  out  of  the  first  nine  million  numbers, 
the  volume  containing  the  sixth  million  having 
lately  been  published ;— or  if  you  put  a  much 
more  comprehensive  question,  what  is. the  use  of 
the  Abelian  functions,  I  shall  be  forced  to  say,  I 
do  not  know ;  and  if  you  press  me  harder  I  shall 
be  obliged  to  express  my  conviction  that  nobody 
knows ;  but  I  know,  and  you  know,  and  everybody 
may  know,  who  will  take  the  pains  to  inquire,  that 
the  progress  of  mathematics  underlies  and  sus- 
tains  all   progress   in   exact  knowledge.^" 

Whewell,  the  author  of  the  History  of  Induc- 
tive Sciences,  has  brought  out  very  clearly  the 
fact  that  'Hhe  opening  of  Greek  civilization  was 
maiked  by  the  production  of  geometry,  the  idea 
of  space  was  brought  to  a  scientific  precision; 
and   like\vidc  ,>ening   of   modern   European 

civilization  wai-  nguished  by   the   production 

of  a  new  science,  ^viechanics,  which  soon  led  to 
the  mechanics  of  the  heavens,  and  this  step,  like 
the  former,  depended  on  men  arriving  at  a  prop- 
erly distinct  fundamental  idea,  the  idea  of  force. 
Henry  Smith,  arguing  for  the  value  of  his  favorite 
study  to  mankind,  points  out  the  injury  which 
would  come  to  the  intellectual  strength  of  any 
nation   "whose   notions  of  the  world  and  of  tlie 


32 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


things  in  it,  were  not  braced  and  girt  together 
with  a  strong  frame  work  of  mathematical  rea- 
It    is   something,"   he    continues,    "for 


soning. 


men  to  learn  what  proof  is  and  what  it  is  not." 
The  work  in  mathematics  at  Alexandria  or  Syra- 
cuse two  thousand  years  ago,  is  as  perfect  in  its 
kind  and  as  direct  and  unerring  in  its  appeal  to 
our  intelligence,  as  if  it  had  been  done  yesterday 
at  Berlin  or  Gottingen  by  one  of  our  own  contem- 
poraries. In  kindred  language,  Cayley,  working 
forward  as  well  as  backward,  and  not  unmindful, 
let  us  hope,  of  the  Sylvestrian  scliool  upon  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic,  in  which  he  had  been  a 
master  and  a  guest,  thus  concluded  the  address 
from  which  I  have  already  quoted. 

"  Mathematics  have  steadily  advanced  from  the 
time  of  the  Greek  geometers.  Nothing  is  lost  or 
wasted;  the  achievements  of  Euclid,  Archimedes 
and  Apollonius  are  as  admirable  now  as  they  were 
in  their  own  days.  Descartes'  method  of  co-ordi- 
nates is  a  possession  forever.  But  mathematics 
have  never  been  cultivated  more  zealously  and 
diligently,  or  with  greater  success  than  in  this 
century— in  the  last  half  of  it  or  at  the  present 
time  ;  the  advances  made  have  been  enormous,  the 
actual  field  is  boundless,  the  future  full  of  hope. 
In  legard  to  pure  mathematics  we  may  most 
confidently  say, 


Phpics.  3^ 

« '  Yet  I  doubt  not  thro'  the  ages  one  increasing  purpose 

runs,  -      , 

And  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  with  the 

process  of  the  suns.'  " 

Many  who  hesitate  to  assent  to  these  views  of 
the  relation  of  pure  mathematics  to  civilization, 
liave   no   question   whatever   in   lauding    applied 
mathematics,  especially  astronomy  and  physics; 
and  no   wonder,  for   within   the   memory  of  this 
generation,  the  world  has  gained  these  five  results 
of  physical  science,  steam  locomotion,  telegraphy, 
telephony,  photography,  and  electric  lighting.    The 
first  three,  it  may  be  said,  have  revolutionized  the 
methods   of   human   intercourse;   the   fourth   has 
multiplied  infinitely  the  means  of  communicatmg 
knowledge  to    the  brain   by  what   Sir  William 
Thomson,  following  John  Bunyan,  has  termed  the 
Eve-gate ;  and  the  fifth,  still  in  its  dawn,  includes 
possibilities   of    illumination,   which  we    are    not 
likely  to  exaggerate.      But  I  have  no  time  to 
eulogize  these  recent  gains  of  civilization ;   every 
word  I  can  spare  must  be  given  to  emphasize  the 
fact  which  is  most  likely  to  be  forgotten,  that  these 
wonderful  inventions  arc  the  direct  fruit  of  univer- 
sity studies.      I  do  not  undervalue  the  work  of 
practical  men  when  I  say  that  the  most  brilliant 
fnventor  who  ever  lived  has  been  dependent  upon 
an  unseen  company  of  scholars,  the  discoverers  and 
the  formulators  of  laws  which  he  has  been  able  to 


34 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


apply  to  methods  and  instruments.  Nor  do  I 
forget  that  Faraday,  like  Shakespeare,  was  not  a 
university  man.  But  I  mean  to  say  that  the 
manifold  applications  of  science,  about  which 
everybody  is  talking,  are  only  possible  because  of 
the  abstract  studies  which  universities  promote. 
The  electro-magnetic  inventions  which  are  now  so 
multiform  are  only  possible  because  scores  of  the 
greatest  intellects  of  the  century,  one  after  another, 
have  applied  their  powers  of  absolute  reasoning  to 
the  interpretation  of  phenomena,  which  could  have 
been  elucidated  in  any  part  of  the  world,  and  at 
any  epoch  of  the  past,  if  only  the  right  methods 
had  been  employed.  As  long  as  universities  held 
aloof  from  experimental  sciences,  these  discov- 
eries were  not  made,  but  when  laboratories  for 
investigation  were  established,  an  alliance  was 
formed  by  mathematics  and  physics,  and  a  new 
type  of  intellectual  workers  was  produced,  men 
whose  hands  were  as  cunning  to  construct  aud 
make  use  of  instruments,  as  their  brains  were 
cunning  to  develop  the  formulas  of  mathematics. 
Take  the  splendid  list  of  leaders  who  have  followed 
Franklin  and  llumford.  They  may  be  called  the 
School  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  so  much  of  their 
inspiration  is  due  to  him.  Not  all  were  trained  in 
academic  walls ;  but  not  one  failed  to  derive  help 
from  the  advantages  which  universities  provide 
and  perpetuate. 


Sir  William  Thomson, 


35 


One  of  the  greatest  of  these  men,  Sir  William 
Thomson,  has  lately  been  here.     He  vas  invited 
to  come  because  it  was  believed  that  he,  more  than 
any  other  foreigner,  could  give  an  impulse  to  the 
study  of  physics  in  this  country.     His  lectures  were 
on  a  subject  so  remote  from  ordinary  thought  that  I 
do  not  suppose  its  announcement  conveys  to  those 
who  are  unfamiliar  with  the  present  position  of 
physical  inquiries,  the  least  idea  of  what  the  lecturer 
was  to  talk  about.     Nevertheless  so  great  was.  the 
attraction  of  his  powers,  that  a  large  company,  two 
or  three  from  England,  one  from  Japan,  several 
from  bevond  the  Alleghanies,  and  many  from  this 
neighborhood,  most  of  them  teachers  and  professors 
of  physics,  here  assembled  daily  for  a  month  to 
catch   what  they   could  of  his   learning   and   his 
enthusiasm.      His   words   were   taken   down   and 
have  been  given  to  the  public  in  the  form  of  lecture 
notes,  and  have  thus  reached  already  the  principal 
seats  of  learning  abroad  and  at  home,  but  the  chief 
results  of  his  visit  will  be  seen  as  the  years  go  on 
in  the  increased  devotion  of  his  followers  to  their 
science  and  in  their  emulation  of  his  enthusiasm 
and  concentration.     Could  I  give  you  a  more  inter- 
esting  example  of  the  way  in  which  a  university 
may  encourage  physical  science  ?  ,      .  , 

Notwithstanding  all  the  progress  in  physics  and 
astronomy  which  has  been  made  during  a  century, 
those    who  know    the  most  about  these    subjects 


36 


Universities  and  Civilizaiion. 


will  assure  us  that  they  are  but  at  the  alphabet 
of  their  science.  Read  the  address  of  the  astrono- 
mer of  Princeton,  on  a  recent  occasion,  in  which  he 
enumerates  the  impending  problems  of  astronomy  ; 
or  that  of  cno  of  our  own  staff,  when  he  reviews  the 
condition  of  r'ectrical  science  and  declares  that 
"  as  the  region  of  the  unknown  is  infinitely  greater 
than  the  known,— there  is  no  fear  of  there  not  being 
work  for  the  v,'hole  world  for  centuries  to  come  ; " 
and  he  adds  (to  please  I  suppose  the  practical  men) 
that  in  the  ajiplications  of  science,  "  the  telephone, 
the  telegraph,  and  electric  lighting,  are  but  as 
child's  play  to  what  the  world  will  see."  ^^ 

Chemistry  is  the  child  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  atomic  theory,  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
all  modern  investigations,  was  announced  Vjy  Dal- 
ton, — (that  English  Friend  after  whom  it  would 
not  be  amiss  to  name  our  chemical  laboratory 
"  Dalton  Hall,"  as  a  tribute  alike  to  his  eminence 
and  to  the  society  in  which  our  founder  was  also 
trained),  —  Dalton's  law,  I  say,  was  announced 
between  1804  and  1808,  sd  that  we  can  trace  more 
distinctly  than  in  most  sciences  the  exact  influ- 
ences  under  which  Chemistry  has  grown  up. 
Alchemy,  the  search  for  gold  or  for  the  philoso- 
pher's stone,  never  became  a  science,  and  contrib- 
uted very  little  to  the  good  of  man;  but  when  the 
universities  of  Europe,  with  their  trained  observ- 
ers, their  uicthoda  of  accurate  work,  their  habit  of 


Chemistry. 


37 


publication,  and  especially  their  traditional  prin- 
ciples of  cooperative  study,  directed  their  attention 
to  the  fundamental  laws  of  atomic  combination,  the 
science  of  Chemistry  grew  with  rapidity,  and  with 
benefits  to  mankind  which  can  never  be  enumer- 
ated     To    no    man    were    its    early    days    more 
Indebted  than  to  Liebig,-"of  organic  chemistry 
the  very  source   and   fountain  liead,"-good  as  a 
thinker,  good  as  an  investigator,  good  as  a  lecturer, 
but  better   still,  as  one    of   his   most   ilUis  rious 
pupils  has  informed  us,  "  in  the  peripatetic  teach- 
ing of  his  laboratory."        •  , 

°  It  was   at  the  small  University  of  G.essen 
says  Hofmann,  from  whom   I  have  just  quoted, 
that  "  Liebig  organized  the  first  educational  labo- 
ratory that  was  ever  founded.    This  scho.d  torms 
an  epoch  in   chemical   science.     It  was  here  that 
exnerimental  instruction  such  as  now  prevails  in 
our   laboratories   received    its    earliest   foriu   and 
foshion,  and  if  we  are  ,.roud  of  the  •".«?"'-;;" 
temples  raised  to  experimental  science  ...  all  our 
schools  and  universities,  let  it  never  be  torgotten 
that  thev  all  owe  their  origin  to  the  prototype  se 
up  by  'Liebig,  !..■.»•  a  ce„.u.-y  ago."    The  world 
apprJciates  the  results  which  have  proceeded  i.-om 
,1    se  laboratories,-let  it  also  be  re..,embered  .ha 
they  were  the  creatio..  ,.,.t  of  i..d„str.al  tabr.cs,  no 
of  u.e.-ca«tile  coriK.rations,   not  even   of   private 
enterprise,  but  of  u.iiversities,  and  that  the  motive 


38 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


which  inspired  their  founders  and  directors  was 
not  the  acquisition  of  wealth,  but  the  ascertain- 
ment of  fundamental  law. 

The  science  which  began  with  the  century  is 
going  forward  more  rapidly  than  ever.  Yet,  if  we 
examine  a  recent  exposition  of  the  principles  of 
theoretical  chemistry,  we  may  discover  that  here, 
as  in  mathematics  and  in  physics,  the  most  expert 
perceive  that  the  field  which  is  open  to  investiga- 
tion is  much  vaster  than  that  which  has  been 
surveyed.  Here,  as  everywhere  else,  the  higher 
one  ascends  the  greater  his  horizon.  What  good  is 
to  come  to  men  from  these  researches  it  would  not 
be  wise  to  predict ;  but  we  may  reflect  on  what  has 
recently  occurred.  Within  the  last  few  months  a 
boon  has  been  conferred  on  humanity  so  great  that 
all  the  cost  of  all  the  laboratories  of  all  the  lands 
in  Christendom  would  have  been  a  small  price  to 
pay  for  so  precious  a  pearl.  It  came  into  the 
world  never  again  to  leave  it,  unheralded,  unex- 
pected, from  tlie  laboratory  of  science,  to  deaden 
for  a  few  moments  and  then  restore  to  life  the 
organs  of  the  siglit,  so  that  operations  on  tlie  eye, 
hitherto  dreaded,  may  be  perforiiwMl  without  the 
slightest  pain.  The  cliemists  may  modestly  say 
that  this  discovery  was  an  accident  not  to  be  com- 
pared in  significance  with  the  discovery  of  Ave- 
gadro's  law.  That  may  be  so,  yet  this  sort  of 
accident  does  not  hapi)en   in  Africa  or  the  Fiji 


Conclusion. 


39 


Islands— it  "happens"  where  there  are  universities 
and  laboratories,  and  trained  men  able  and  ready 
to  observe,  discover  and  apply.^^ 

The  hour  has  passed,  and  I  have  hardly  intro- 
duced a  theme  which  would  be  more  appropriate 
for   a  volume   than   for  a  discourse.      I  have  not 
spoken  of  the  study  of  the  structure  of  the  earth, 
the  physics  of  the  globe,  the  laws  of  storms,  the 
constituent  rocks  and   minerals  of  this  earth,  the 
record  of  life  hidden  in  ancient  strata,  the  living 
kingdoms  of  animals  and  plants,  the  distribution 
of  the  races  of  men,  the  progress  of  archreology,— 
or    of    innumerable    lub-divisions    in    the    great 
branches  of  human  knowledge.     Such  a  task  would 
be  beyond  my  powers;  I  have  only  attempted  to 
suggest  what  each  one  of  you  may   study  for  the 
rest   of  your  lives,  as   you  watch   the  growth  of 
universities   and   the   progress   of   knowledge.     I 
have  purposely  left  for  another  occasion  all  ques- 
tions   pertaining    to    professional    and    technical 
education. 

A  few  miles  east  of  one  of  my  former  homes— 
the  settlement  of  Berkeley,  in  C  Jifornia— there  is 
an  isolated  peak  of  moderate  height,  from  the  top 
of  which  you  may  survey  an  area  e(iual  to  that  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  From  Mount  Shasta  on 
the  north  to  Mount  Whitney  on  the  south,  you 
may  trace  tlie  jagged,  often  snow-white,  ere  st  which 
bears  the  name  of  Sierra  Nevada.     Here  and  there 


40 


Universities  and  Civilization. 


a  peak  rises  a  little  higher  than  its  neighbors,  and 
can  be  identified  from  the  look-out;  but  human 
vision  cannot  see  the  chains  beyond  the  chains,  nor 
the  marvellous  valley  Yosemite  and  the  beautiful 
Lake  Talioe  which  are  sheltered  within  the 
nearest  range  of  hills.  All  that  the  eye  can  distin- 
guish on  the  horizon  are  a  few  of  the  loftiest  sum- 
mits as  it  turns  toward  the  east,  and  a  glimpse  of 
the  Farallone  islands  as  it  turns  toward  the  west. 
So  to-day,  from  a  hill  not  very  high,  we  have 
looked  upon  a  broad  area,  distinguishing  only 
the  chief  features  of  the  landscape, — but  we  have 
seen  the  mountains  and  the  sea. 


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